The Short-fin Mako Shark
The short-fin mako shark is a popular shark. They’re known as swimmers and leapers. The short-fin mako shark is known to reach incredible speeds of 60 mph, and they’re also known to leap several feet above sea level. The short-fin mako shark has, as you may have guessed, rather short fins. The short fins on a short-fin mako shark help it build speed, because they’re designed to slice through the waters easily. The mako shark is either a light grey (making it appear a bluish color) or a dark grey (making it appear black.) The stomach of a short-fin mako is a bright white that sometimes turns a dirty white with age. The teeth on a short-fin mako shark are very long and thin, they’re also very sharp. The mako shark is a carnivore, so its teeth are designed to rip through flesh on its prey.
Diet:
The short-fin mako shark’s diet includes: shoals of fish, tuna, herring, swordfish, porpoise, and mackerel. The short-fin mako shark hunts in packs. When they hunt in packs, they devise a plan to attack their prey before they actually strike. When hunting shoals of fish, the group of sharks surround the fish until they’re all in a tightly nit ball, and then the shark will swim back in forth eating the fish until full.
Habitat:
The short-fin mako shark is located around Tahiti Island swimming at a depth of 1,000 feet. They are also found, in warm seas, near shore in the warm water. Short-fin mako sharks prefer to be in the open seas with nothing surrounding them but water.
Dangerous or not?
The short-fin mako shark has attacked human for years now, and there has been no signs of them slowing down. These sharks seem to fear us greatly, and attack us when we get near them or their territory. The short-fin mako shark is very dangerous to the human.
Life span:
Short-fin mako sharks live to be about 13 years of age, but there have been reported records of a couple short-fin mako sharks living longer.
Reproduction:
The female short-fin mako shark can have a litter containing 10 to 12 pups. The female gives live birth to her young and protects them until they’re old enough to leave and be on their own. Young pups will eat small fish until big enough to devour larger marine animals. When first born, the short-fin mako pups will be about 2 feet in length.
Migration:
Short-fin mako sharks will migrate seasonally, and travel about 1,110 miles from their original home. These sharks migrate for new feeding and nesting grounds.
